“Don’t do this.” He pleaded.
“I’m notdoinganything. Things have just moved fast, and I just need a little time to focus on work.” I walked past him and sat at the dining room table.
He followed me. “You’re scared. Mikaila freaked you out. Understandable, but I thought we’d moved past it once you knew Ethan was the cause. She means nothing to me anymore.”
There was panic in his voice which didn’t make my stomach feel any better. “I know. I know. I believe you. I just… it was a lot. Can you understand that? I’m just… I just need to focus. You… you make me feel everything all at once and it’s hard.”
“You can’t focus with me around? Nice.”
I stood and glared at him. “Don’t do that. This is all so much. I didn’t expect you. I didn’t expect Rusty.” Rusty came and sat at my feet when I said his name. My shoulders slumped. “I just need some time to think and sort through what I’m feeling. That’s all.”
Jesse pulled his phone out and started texting someone. “Don’t worry about it. Brady is on his way to get me. Thanks for letting me stay here to recuperate. I should be getting back to work now.”
“Please don’t be mad. I’m not saying you should stay away forever. That’s not what I’m mean. I just need some time to think, and I haven’t been able to do that. Please tell me you understand.” I was staring at him, waiting for an answer, but he looked at me without responding.
Finally, he said, “You want space. I got that. You don’t need to say anything else. But Laida… I’m not letting you go.” Hewalked up to me, placed his hand on the side of my face, and kissed me, before stepping back with sadness in his eyes. He turned to Rusty, rubbed his head, and said, “I’ll see you later, boy. Take care of her for me.”
Jesse didn’t look back at me. He walked out as we heard Brady pulling up. I wondered if I had made a mistake. Maybe I should’ve asked him to stay. What Ididknow was that my thoughts and emotions were all over the place, and I needed to deal with that.
Chapter 14
Jesse
It’d been two weeks since Laida told me she wanted space. I missed her and I missed Rusty. They’d burrowed their way deep into my heart and I didn’t know what to do with that.
Ethan waltzed into my temporary office in the firehouse. “Hey man,” he said.
Ethan was still on my shit list for the stunt he pulled with Mikaila and Laida. “What do you want, Ethan?”
“What’s your problem?”
I aggressively pushed my chair out and stood, slightly towering over him. “What’s my problem? Are you fucking kidding me right now? It’s your fault that everything is fucked up between me and Laida. Who told you to call Mikaila?”
“What?”
“Who the fuck told you to have Mikaila come to the hospital? In what fucking universe would you think I would want my cheating ex at my bedside?” He didn’t say anything. He just stood there looking like a fucking idiot. “That’s what I thought. This little game you played so you could move in on Laida was pure bullshit! Get the fuck out of my face. If you got anything tosay, tell Brady or someone else, but don’t fucking talk to me. You may want to find a new firehouse.”
Ethan walked away and left in silent embarrassment. Like my office door was revolving, Brady walked in and asked, “Are you doin’ okay?”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah, did you hear that?”
“The whole firehouse heard it, man.”
“Great. Fucking great.”
He tried to calm me down. “Hey, it’s alright. We all know what went down with Mikaila. Ethan fucked up. Why don’t you head out? Your shift was over an hour ago. You need to let off some steam.”
I couldn’t agree more. “You’re right. I’m gonna go. Keep Ethan away from me.”
Brady patted my back and nodded. “I don’t think he’ll be bothering you anytime soon.”
***
I decided to head over to The Pines Diner and grab something to eat. I love that diner. They have a long counter with red vinyl stools and mismatched booths all around. I opted for a booth.
My head was screwed up and worse than that, my heart was fucked too. Maybe I jumped into things too fast with Laida, but it didn’t matter because I missed her. The heart knows what it wants and I wanted her.
A familiar voice asked, “How you doing, honey?” Bev Holloway is the owner of The Pines Diner. She slid into the seat across from me. Bev is in her mid-fifties, with short, curly, graying hair. She always has a cup of coffee in her hand, with a smile on the side. She’s the lending ear if anyone needs it.
